Viewing articles by Lilla Johnson

Icehenge by Frank Gehry at the Inland Steel building in Chicago, IL. courtesy: freedman auctions, chicago

Friday July 24, 2026 | by Lilla Johnson

Frank Gehry's one-of-a-kind 'Icehenge' desk sells at auction for $243,200

On July 25, 2026, the late Frank Gehry’s (1929-2025) Icehenge desk went to auction at Freeman’s Auction in Chicago. Selling for $243,200 to an unknown buyer, the desk exceeded the estimate of $100,000–$200,000. The desk broke the record as the highest paid for a work of design by Gehry. In a public statement, Freeman' department head of design Roger Ward said: “The buyer is also dedicated to maintaining public access to Icehenge and is considering a temporary loan to a suitable museum or institution. Currently, no specific plans have been finalized.”

The unveiling of "Gathered Radiance" marked the grand opening of Abilene Heritage Square

Friday July 10, 2026 | by Lilla Johnson

Three questions for ... Carlyn Ray

Cascading through the main public library in Abilene, Texas, 400 individual glass ribbons and bubbles in a rainbow of colors hang from the air. Artist Carlyn Ray created Gathered Radiance (2026) with members of the Abilene community as a site-specific public-art project at the Abilene Public Library on the city's cultural campus known as Abilene Heritage Square.

This "Saguaro Cactus" public-art project by Gordon Huether consists of three dichroic glass cactus plants, the tallest of which reaches 20 feet tall. The project is located at the Southside Public Safety Complex at 4410 S Park Avenue in Tucson.

Tuesday June 30, 2026 | by Lilla Johnson

The magic of dichroic glass energizes an Arizona public-art project

The magical interplay of glass and light has transfixed the human eye throughout history, but perhaps nothing can compare to the color-shifting properties of dichroic glass. Advances in science have explained how specific metal oxides encased or deposited on the surface can create a dramatic chromatic shift with even slight changes to the viewing angle (similar to when a thin film of oil or gas floats on top of a puddle of water), but when you actually witness the phenomenon in glass, explanation becomes irrelevant—the effect is absolutely captivating.

The Boyd Family Memorial Window The Falls For Second Congregational Church Winsted Connecticut 1898 1

Wednesday June 10, 2026 | by Lilla Johnson

Rare Tiffany window with waterfall motif and a $1.5 – 2 million estimate going up for auction at Christie's

The Boyd Family Memorial Window (The Falls) by Tiffany Studios will be sold to the highest bidder at a Christie’s auction at the auction house’s Rockefeller Center location in New York at 3 PM Eastern Standard Time on June 10th. The window, which was commissioned by Ellen Wright Boyd in 1898, had been installed for over a century at the Second Congregational Church in Winsted, Connecticut.